A New York-based lawyer and chartered accountant, Chief Owolabi Salis, has tasked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the need to ensure fairness and equity in his appointments.
Salis gave the charge in a statement he issued from his United States of America, USA, base, against the backdrop of criticisms trailing the choices of the President into key positions.
Salis averred that appointments ordinarily should be an avenue to engnder national unity and cohesion.
The expert in diversity management also noted that division was not an option for the new administration in view of the current challenges facing the nation.
Stressing that this was in consideration of the division which polarised the country along religious and ethnic lines during the recent general elections, Salis said “As a diversity expert and somebody with a deep knowledge of Nigerian politics, one would have expected that anything that could further divide our people would have been avoided from day one.
“For a character like Tinubu and his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, they could have done better, going by the repertoire of experiences.
“Moreover, Yorubas are for equity. Yorubas are known to harmonise diverse interests and bring everyone together, that’s Yoruba spirituality.
“The truth is that despite our differences, we are one and the same as far as the Nigerian project is concerned.
“Appointments into offices therefore should reflect our diversity, as it remains a potent tool that can either make or mar our journey towards nationhood.
“This is why I am particularly concerned about issues so far raised against appointments into offices, especially our financial architecture under the current administration.
“Former President Obasanjo did excellently well in this regard with appointments of Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Prof. Charles Soludo, Nuru Ribadu, Nasir El-Rufai, Nenadi Usman, Dr. Kpakol, among others across the country.
“The truth is that good diversity management engenders national unity and luckily Nigeria parades quality people from every geo-political zone of the country, hence any good leader should be able to harness such for national development.
“Thankfully, opportunity still beckons to right the perceived wrongs as President Tinubu can still redeem his image before his critics, who are no doubt right by insisting that the right thing be done.
“No doubt, one of the things that worked for him in the last elections is his perceived pan-Nigeria posture, it is therefore incumbent upon him to prove his critics wrong and that he is President of all Nigerians and not of any ethnic stock.”
